This application describes the development, progress, and future directions of several projects dedicated to the synthesis of physiologically important natural products, as well as the investigation of an interesting reaction discovered through these efforts. The primary goals of each project are the development and application of methods to complete the synthesis of the desired targets. The current strategies for the synthesis of these targets have been designed to be amenable to the incorporation of alternative functionality for the development of analogs, which will be subjected to biological screening to identify novel or interesting physiological activity